Two Lebanese troops died Thursday as the army pounded a refugee camp with artillery fire, where al-Qaeda inspired Islamic militants barricaded inside. According to the AP, the firing started just before dawn and hours after more than 150 civilians fled on foot from the camp in northern Lebanon.
The army stated two troops died Thursday, bringing the number of military dead to 88 since fighting commenced at the Nahr el-Bared camp on May 20. Earlier an armored personnel carrier was seen ferrying at least two injured troops out of the camp.
Late Wednesday, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora called for the army to "put a final end" to the Fatah al-Islam "terrorists." In a statement denying reports that it had announced a final assault, the army declared that "the ongoing military operations are still in the context of tightening the noose on the gunmen to force them to surrender."
"Today's bombardment is a first step in the final battle against the terrorist group whose fighters have refused to surrender to the army," an army officer at the scene told AFP.
